[Closed] Lighter or wider wheels?

Lot of variables there. Are they same materials/price range? Are you going to use the same tyres either way? Are you 60kg or 110kg? Do you have a history of damaging wheels or are you gentle on kit?

If you are a light rider who rides light and you don't have any plans to regularly use 2.6/2.8 tyres, why go heavy? Likewise if you know you are a bit rough on kit, why go light if it's just for trail centre stuff?

Fair questions. 2.5ish tyres. 80kg. Trailcentre blacks and natural single-track. Broken a wheel before in the lakes. Both carbon and similar hubs.

It would depend on what tyres I wanted to run.

I replaced lighter (thinner rimmed) wheels with wider rimmed jobs as 2.5” tyres look like lightbulbs...

If I was intending to use 2.25-2.3” then I’d be in a quandary (ie, will I ever want wider tyres...). ‘Fashion’ would say yes. 🤪

30mm rims all day long.

Well, personal opinion but it's the 30mm, heavier ones getting my cash in that scenario (85kg and a bit rough on kit). I can't offer any evidence they'd be faster around any given loop, but I'm assuming they'll be more robust and give more flexibility of choice around the preferred 2.5 tyre size.

2.5ish tyres. 80kg. Trailcentre blacks and natural single-track. Broken a wheel before in the lakes. Both carbon and similar hubs.

Does not compute!!!

You need some 30mm internal alloy rims I'd suggest... If you've broken wheels before, then carbon isn't worth bothering with, not when there's superb alloy rims these days for barely any weight penalty. 26mm internal rims are ideal if you're running 2.25-2.3" tyres, at 2.5" a 30mm internal width is ideal.

I'd pick something like DT XM1501's or a custom set of your choice of hubs on DT XM481's (or perhaps even Stans Flows) in your situation.

What wheels are we looking at where going 4mm wider on the rim adds 200g?

Adding 400 grams to the overall weight of the bike + rider is not going to make a noticeable difference in your speed around a trail centre loop. And I doubt the difference in width is either unless you are measuring down to the second?
However the lighter rims would feel better to me so I would choose that option.

I'd wonder where the 400 grams is coming from for 4mm of internal width, you will be adding 100 grams maybe for DT rims or similar, plus if you ride 2.5" tyres then the profile may be more as designed, so better overall at lower pressures.

I think I would feel the +400gm more than the 4mm, but...

I would advise working out what width will work best for you pressure/grip wise then finding one that is <1900gm.

+1 for the 30mm. Especially at 80kg.

I went 29mm wide on my xc bike. But then its rigid with 2.35 and 2.6 tires. Went for the lightest wheels I could find at £450 and I'm only 60kg.

I'd only go for narrower rims if I was using 2.1 tires or narrower.

They aren't exact comparisons; I'm just upgrading my XC bike to boost. The XC bike always had nicer wheels; but they were 26mm as opposed to the heavier 30mm LB on pro 2's (1900g).

Wondered which set STW would keep and which they would sell?

Am looking at getting a wheelset made up and so have been wondering the same as OP. Im going to go for 30mm. I am not so bothered about the weight so much as the durability, as i know I'm quite rough on stuff. The wheels will be taken over all types of terrain and tyres will be 2.4-2.5 so 30mm makes more sense to me

26mm isn't exactly narrow, and it's a pretty big weight difference. But tbh I'd expect a 26mm 1500g wheelset to be drastically less strong than a 30mm 1900g wheelset. So if I wanted a really fast wheelset, the 1500g without a doubt. If I wanted one that I could use day in day out and not worry, I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole.

Basically it seems like 2 wheelsets for 2 jobs.

Got a set of carbon roval phatties, 30mm internal but weigh around 1500g (in 27.5” guester). Best of both worlds. Had them for 3 year with no issues, only just had rear wheel rebuild with new spoke/nipples due to spokes starting to get a bit baggy and was worth keeping them going

I refuse to believe that 4mm difference in rim width will be felt by anyone when riding* off road at moderate speed. We’re not even talking 15%. 400g of weight, presumably all outboard in the rims and spokes will be felt every time you pedal.

We all used to happily ride 2.2-2.35s on 17-19mm rims and now you’re telling me that a 2.5” tyre (which is only 4mm wider than a 2.35 tyre) MUST be ran on a 30mm ID rim? A 26mm ID rim is 30-40% bigger than what we used to ride for a tyre which is only (at most) 20% bigger (assuming 2.1 > 2.5”) A 26ID will be fine and at 1500g, feel great.

I can see a marketing opportunity for 27.5mm id rims they'll make the tyres come alive...

I refuse to believe that 4mm difference in rim width will be felt by anyone when riding* off road at moderate speed.

You're neglecting the fact that most tyres are now designed to work optimally on certain rim widths. If you stick a modern 2.4" tyre on a 19mm internal rim, it will feel horrible compared to running it on a 28-30mm rim that it has been designed to run "optimally" on.

Then there's the fact you've used the word "moderate"... Just because you're happy riding everywhere at a moderate pace, who's to say the rest of us should be happy with anything less 100% as and when we want to?

Personally, I HATE the idea of being held back by my kit (especially tyres!), so even though I'm a mid pack rider when it comes to any races I've done, I want to know that at least it wasn't my equipment but my own skills that were holding me back from being faster.

A 26ID will be fine and at 1500g, feel great.

If you're running 2.1-2.3" tyres and no wider, I'd agree...

Ah, so you have the two sets already, then it's really just a case of what you're going to do in the future, at 1900g and 30mm internal i'd expect those to either be burlier for heavier stuff, or cheaper components, either way if you're not going to be jumping then maybe 400g you don't need?

I'd always look at what you are after, being able to get the best out of a 2.5" tyre is good, but unless you're running lower pressures and getting the most are you going to be using them at any real limit, or really do you need anything more than a 2.3" if normal riding and stuff?

I'd have to have something pushing me towards adding 400g to the wheels, i have 2 sets and the heavier ones go on for DH/enduro stuff, the lighter ones for trail stuff, but they have different tyres (DH casing vs normal) and so on as well, so pretty much night and day in terms of weight!

Agreed the feel of the lighter wheels might help inspire you but the physical benefit is 0.4% on climbs only, would be interesting to see what the 4mm would do for psi and this grip.

I would counter in durability also.

You’re neglecting the fact that most tyres are now designed to work optimally on certain rim widths.

Do we know this is a fact?

mboy
Free Member

You’re neglecting the fact that most tyres are now designed to work optimally on certain rim widths.

Sometimes, maybe. And often I think not except in marketing. And besides, the tyre designer's idea of optimal is often not mine- I'm sure the designer of the nobby nic thinks it's optimal for something, I think it's optimal for the bin. I mean, even a few years ago early adopters of wide rims were doing it largely to square off tyres that were rounder than we wanted.

I would say that in 100% of sensible cases I'd feel 1500g to 1900g far more than I'd feel 26mm to 30mm. Like, not even the slightest doubt. I'm not confident I'd feel the difference in width in a lot of cases but unless you put a 1.5kg tyre on the difference in the wheels will shine.

Plenty of World Cup DH riders using 25mm internal rims with 2.4/2.5 tyres. Make of that what you will.

400g is a big difference. But then weight saving makes a bigger difference to a lighter bike and rider compared to a heavier bike and rider.

For example:
500g off a 50kg rider is a 1% saving.
500g off a 100kg rider is a 0.5% saving.

The lighter rider will notice a bigger difference for the same weight saving.

Just to provide some insight into rim width Vs tyre width. I had until recently run 21mm width rims with 2.5 Maxxis or 2.35 Schwalbe tyres and never had an issue. Running 24 psi give or take. I've recently upgraded bikes and now have one with 25mm rims and one with 29mm rims both running a 2.6 Butcher. I find the 25mm rims work fine and there is definitely no massive issue with the compatibility, however if my tyre pressure goes too low there is a definite feeling of tyre squirm and the side wall collapsing. This isn't an issue on the 29mm rim, I can play with much lower pressure (high teens) and not feel any negative side effects as the tyre stays more supported.

TL:DR narrower rims can still work fine with larger tyres if you run higher tyre pressures.

I'm using 23mm rims and 2.4 tyres. I run them at 25psi. The tyre profile is fine. I ride in the peaks and have yet to burst into flames.